Rochester City Council President Calls on Trump Administration to Restore Paused Homelessness Funds

Audra Kieta
6 hours ago
2 min read

Rochester City Council President Miguel A. Meléndez, Jr. is urging the Trump administration to immediately restore federal homelessness funding after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) abruptly paused its Continuum of Care (CoC) grant program, a primary funding source for local housing stability efforts.

The pause, which stems from HUD’s withdrawal of its notice of funding opportunity earlier this week, has created nationwide uncertainty for municipalities, counties and nonprofits whose existing CoC contracts expire in May. Rochester officials say the move threatens to displace hundreds of local residents and disrupts a long-standing, evidence-based model for preventing homelessness.

“It is cold outside. We are in the midst of a housing crisis,” Meléndez said in a statement. “This week, HUD paused housing dollars to help those facing homelessness — placing 434 people in Rochester immediately at risk of losing housing. This is wrong. This is cruel. This is not who we are.” 12_10_25_HUDFunding_MM

In a letter sent Wednesday to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Meléndez called the decision “harmful and unnecessary,” warning that each day of delay increases instability for families already struggling with rising housing costs. The letter argues that the administration’s proposed shift away from Housing First policies — a model that prioritizes immediate access to permanent housing before requiring treatment — would place more than 1,300 Rochester residents at risk.

Local service providers, including Rochester’s Continuum of Care partner organizations, report that 113 people could face immediate eviction once their current contract expires this spring if funding is not restored.

The administration’s decision to pull back the funding opportunity appears intended to halt a potential court ruling on those proposed policy changes. Earlier this week, New York Attorney General Letitia James and a multistate coalition secured a court order blocking HUD’s effort to eliminate Housing First requirements. That ruling temporarily protects the core practices used by local agencies to keep individuals safely housed.

Still, Meléndez said the federal pause has already disrupted planning and created immediate risks for vulnerable residents.

“Each day you delay the release of CoC funding, you are putting at risk families’ housing stability,” he wrote. “The longer you take in the process will continue to cause even more harm to those who are most vulnerable in my community.”

Meléndez called on the administration to release the funds without delay and reaffirm support for the Housing First model, which he said remains a top priority among local organizations combating homelessness.

“For Rochester, that’s a Housing First model that provides immediate, permanent housing to those who are unhoused or at risk,” he wrote. “Everyone deserves access to high-quality, affordable and supportive housing.”